life in hd

after i moved to san francisco, i used some of my graduation money (thanks, mom and grandparents!), to buy my first real tv, a $300 27" panasonic. compared to the loaner 14" from college, this was an upgrade: massive, with that big bulky back and the necessity for two people to awkwardly lug it up multiple flights of stairs. with my old skool vhs player, i felt like i had arrived! since then, the tv has been through two moves (including a very bumpy one in the back of a u-haul), acting as a bed warmer for the cat, a few living room repositionings, and one full frontal 18" fall. awhile back the color started to dull, and the espn tickers scroll on a slight tilt...

fast forward to thanksgiving eve, where we must have been drunk off our a$$e$ from vegan stuffing, scalloped potatoes, homemade cranberries (with agar!), and gravy (mostly thanks to this wonderful book), and cheese-stuffed quorn patties, pecan pie, and whipped cream. all full, we searched the internet for black friday megadeals, specifically looking at electronics. lo and behold, we saw some of the incredible deals at best buy, and decided, on a whim, to set the alarm for 4am. on friday. the day after thanksgiving. a vacation day no less(for me, at least...). 6 hours later, we awoke and groggily drove over to best buy, where we waited in line with 300 or so fellow san franciscans (how we were two of about 20 white people in that line i'll never understand... don't caucasians love deals, too?), and after another 45 minutes of waiting inside, we became the proud owners of a new flat screen tv. the only downside, which they don't tell you until you've paid up, is that you have to return that evening to pick up your goods...

after a refreshing nap, we realized that this wasn't just a tv we were committing to. it was a new hd-compatible cable box. we mosied down to portrero (why is there only one comcast location in the city? and why does it only have a max of 5 representative desks? really. this. makes. no. sense.). on the drive over, we talked about switching the acct. to me if possible (hello, hbo for $39.99!). after about 40 minutes in line, we finally got up to the service desk, but todd switched up his story on me a tad. "hi. i'm moving. like out of the country. and she (yes, i'm just she) is subletting my apartment. i won't be there. at all. and she has an hdtv. and she needs a new box. can she also get a new account?" meanwhile, i made some sad face and whispered quite loudly, "you didn't tell me you were moving out of the country! bastard." yeah. we weren't believable. but we got the new box, a much cheaper plan with more bang for our buck, and we were off.

all in all, our semi-spur-of-the-moment purchase ended up requiring a new dvd player that could upconvert, a new hdmi cable, and a super duper long 15' surge protector, so our impulse buy doesn't feel quite so impulsive anymore. but how did i live without hd all my life? i sat there mesmerized on saturday, staring at some basketball player's sweaty bald head and enthralled with his deeply focused eyes. even qvc is better in hd. that segment with the loose leaf tea pots? holy cow! must. have. one. or five. and have i mentioned the informercials? with hd, i was shocked to see how effective a razor blade sharpening system could be, especially with the detailed hand-drawn renderings.

plus, bright and early on saturday, on our way to the hardware store, we passed marjorie (the short haired, french-born san franciscan) from america's next top model on haight street. now that's taking hd to a whole new level.